The present invention relates to a machine for manufacturing a panel for use in construction and, more particularly, to a machine for manufacturing a panel including two wire meshes made of wire consisting of a thin rod, a flat heat insulating core disposed between the wire meshes, first supporting members passing through the wire meshes and the core inclined in one direction, and second supporting members passing through the wire meshes and the core inclined in a direction opposite to the first supporting members, the supporting members being welded to the wire meshes to form a three-dimensional panel for use in construction.
Generally, the light plastics including formed synthetic resins and expanded plastics, such as urethane and polystyrene, have the proper characteristics required in walls and ceilings, i.e., light weight, low heat conductivity, anti-abrasive, low water permeability, acoustic shielding property and the like. However, they are weak with regard to their structural strength. Therefore, they are coupled with a structurally strong reinforcing frame, when used as a construction material.
Examples of this type of panel are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,305,991; 3,555,131 and 4,226,067.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,991 describes a manufacturing process in which a complete frame is separately manufactured and inserted into a fabricating vessel and a fluid is also poured into the fabricating vessel so that the frame is immersed in the fluid to form a certain gap between the bottom of the frame and the bottom of a foamed panel to be formed. A film forming fluid is poured into the fabricating vessel to form a film on the inner surface of the fabricating vessel and a liquid foam material is poured into the fabricating vessel. Then curing is carried out so as to form a reinforced panel for use in construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,131 discloses a device and a method for assembling this type of panel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,067 deals with an assembled panel manufactured by a process in which a foamed plastic is fitted between two truss-shaped side frames and a plurality of them are laterally combined in close contact with each other. Then, the upper and lower portions of the side frames are spot welded to unite the side frames, to provide an assembled reinforced panel with reinforcing core.
The method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,991 requires an enormous amount of investment in the manufacturing facility, since it uses the manufacturing device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,131, which is an expensive special device for manufacturing an integrated frame. Furthermore, the foamings must be carried out one-by-one in the fabricating vessel and therefore it is impossible to produce the foamed panel in a mechanized manner. Also, it is not only difficult to maintain a constant gap between the surface of the foamed resin and the surface of the integrated frame, but also irregularity occurs on the surface of the foamed resin, and the position of the foamed resin is not made in an accurate way. Furthermore, the foamed body is actually contacted with the external frame at many places and therefore, when finishing, is carried out with a cement mortar; the placing of the united frame cannot be perfect.
In accordance with the method of U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,067, small gaps between the heat insulating cores which are filling members arranged in a lateral direction can occur. Therefore, the heat insulating and acoustic shielding characteristics are reduced and the manufacturing process is complicated.
Korean Patent21,625 describes improvements in the device described hereinabove. U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,027 describes an additional improvement in the manufacturing machine for making a heat insulating panel described in Korean Patent 21,625. Korean Patent 21,625 discloses a manufacturing machine in which the upper and lower wire meshes are disposed above and below the heat insulating core with certain gaps therebetween and are fitted into a jig. The jig is intermittently moved a certain distance, and at the same time wires which are to serve as supporting members for the wire meshes and the heat insulating core are continuously inclinedly inserted and cut off. Then, the contacts between the cut supporting members and the upper and lower wire meshes are spot welded so as to a form three-dimensional construction panel.
Usually, the construction panels have a width of 1.22 m (4 feet) and a length of 2.44 to 4.26 m (8-14 feet). Due to this large size, it is advantageous to produce the panels near the consuming location rather than to transport them a long distance.
Korean Patent 21,625 describes a machine having the advantage that a panel having a heat insulating core of superior heat insulating characteristics and acoustic shielding characteristics can be mass produced with it. However disadvantageously the means for supplying the inclined wires is very complicated and consumes a large amount of energy. The size of this means is too large and it has too many parts, so that it is difficult to carry them to the consuming place. Also, this results in repair and maintenance difficulties. The process for assembling the upper and lower wire meshes and the heat insulating cores to maintain certain gaps between them is very troublesome and causes a decrease in productivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,027, which was issued to an inventor of the subject matter disclosed herein, describes a machine for manufacturing an insulating panel which is an improvement of the machine described in the aforementioned Korean Patent 21,625.
In the manufacturing machine described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,027 the panel subassembly in which the lower wire mesh, the insulating core and the upper wire mesh are stacked with predetermined gaps between them on spacer angles attached at predetermined intervals to the conveyor intermittently driven by a stepping motor, the supporting members which have been cut in advance to a predetermined length are moved toward the fixed feeding and inserting mechanism and then the supporting members are applied to the aforesaid panel subassembly by the feeding and inserting mechanism, and the longitudinal wires of the upper and lower wire meshes and the contacting portions of the inserted supporting members are spot welded by the electric welding mechanisms spaced from the feeding and inserting mechanisms so as to manufacture a three-dimensional panel for use in construction.
Since the manufacturing machine described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,027, moves the panel subassembly toward the fixed supporting member feeding and inserting mechanism and the electric welding mechanism, it should have a length of four times more than a length of the construction panel to be manufactured. Thus it has not been possible to decrease the entire magnitude and weight of the manufacturing machine.